Single Publication

Public invited to Monument community meeting tomorrow, mop up continues along Zones I & II.

UKIAH, Ore. – Firefighters on the Battle Mountain Complex continued to make progress on mop-up operations across both Zones I and II, taking advantage of cool morning conditions and cloud cover throughout the day. Temperatures only reached the low 80s, which naturally limited fire behavior as well.

In Zone I of the incident, evacuation Levels were lowered by the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and Emergency Management today, decreasing Monument from a Level 3 to a Level 2, portions of Fox Valley from a Level 3 to a Level 2 and Long Creek from a Level 2 to a Level 1. As a result of those decreases, a community meeting will be held in Monument on Wednesday, July 31 at 5 p.m. at the Monument School Gym for a current fire update; officials with Oregon Department of Forestry Teams 1 and 3, as well as Oregon State Fire Marshal will be available afterward to answer any questions not covered in the meeting.

On the line today, mop-up operations were in full swing in Zones I and II, with a continued focus in the Cupper Creek area. Both wildland firefighters from ODF Team I and structural firefighters from Oregon State Fire Marshal taskforces remain coordinated and engaged, securing homes and increasing overall containment. Due to the progress over the past couple of days, OSFM task forces are slowly being sent back to their home units for rest and in anticipation of staffing needs at other incidents.

In Zone II, firefighters continue to focus on the Potamus drainage as crews construct hand and dozer line directly on the fire’s edge within the canyon. Crews are working to connect lines and stop the fire’s forward progress before temperatures begin to rise on Thursday.

As firefighters mop-up and build containment, crews will continue to patrol firelines to locate and extinguish any fire activity along and outside the perimeter. They will also identify and remove any dead-standing timber and other overhead hazards.

Moving forward, the incident will discontinue the evening update and move to one morning update each day unless fire activity changes greatly.

Evacuations: Level 1 (Be Ready), Level 2 (Be Set) and Level 3 (Go Now) evacuations are in effect. For updated information, visit:

• For Umatilla County, follow www.facebook.com/UmatillaCountySheriff or sign up for Umatilla County Emergency Alert System at https://member.everbridge.net/index/2590041373147145.
• For Grant County, visit the RAPTOR arcgis site or sign up for alerts at: https://member.everbridge.net/index/825462649520134.|
• For Morrow County, visit https://experience.arcgis.com/.../de78333b0d2544f7a320142...

Public Land Closures:

The Bureau of Land Management has closed public lands along the John Day River from Kimberly to Dale, and from Kimberly to Service Creek. More information here: https://www.blm.gov/.../oregon-washington/fire-restrictions.

The Umatilla National Forest has implemented a closure for public lands within the Heppner Ranger District and the North Fork John Day Ranger District. More information at: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/news-events/... and https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/umatilla/alerts-notices/....

FIRE AT A GLANCE
Total Estimated Complex Size: 178,171 acres
Monkey Creek Fire: 173,687
North Fork Owens: 4,484 acres
Total Containment 14%
Cause: Under Investigation
Estimated Cost: $29,200,000

All Resources:
Hand Crews: 67
Engines: 85
Water Tenders: 37
Dozers: 29
Helicopters: 4
Total Personnel: 2,010